Aripiprazole which has the structure
is an atypical antipsychotic agent useful in treating schizophrenia. It has poor aqueous solubility, with a solubility of less than about 1 microgram/mL (μg/mL) at room temperature. Aripiprazole is a dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist and antagonist of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. Aripiprazole is used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic and CNS disorders. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,528. The drug is currently sold as a tablet for oral administration. However, poor patient compliance with oral antipsychotics has been reported. As such, there exists a need for compositions and methods of delivering antipsychotics, such as aripiprazole, thereby improving patient compliance and maximizing the pharmacological profile of the active agent.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.